The local government of Cebu was received warmly by Austrian traders who showed great interest in investing and importing furniture from the province.

Cebu officials led by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia were in full force during their visit to Vienna last month to present the province’s unique furniture business to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

“I really make this a point na dadalhin ko ang ating furniture manufacturers to open more market for the Cebu furniture industry our furniture is a world class,” Garcia said.

Garcia’s group showed the audience the growing furniture industry in Cebu through a PowerPoint presentation.

“This is a business matching session for the Cebu delegation with Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the counterpart here in Austria is the Austrian Federation,” said Cebu Board Member Wenceslao Gakit.

Aside from Austria, the officials said they are also set to visit other countries in Eastern Europe.

The group hopes to establish more connections in other European countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia and Germany.

Source

Germany’s furniture chain Asko has opened its first store in Budapest that it built from EUR 5 million. The company is planning to open eight additional stores in Hungary in the next three years, news portal index.hu has reported on Thursday.

Asko’s first store sprawls on 7,000 sqm in Budapest’s Savoya Park in the 11th district. Asko chose this location because it is the company’s expansion philosophy to set up its first unit in a mall that also sports a hypermarket.

Asko plans to spend EUR 40 million on eight new stores in Hungary in the next three years. Read more »

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c47688) has announced the addition of World Furniture Outlook 2007: With Furniture Indicators for 60 Countries to their offering.

There is an increasing degree of openness in the furniture sector world-wide. The growth in world furniture trade has two determinants: the increasing openness of the markets and the growth in world consumption, which has also affected the developing countries since the mid-80′s, with the emergence of hundreds of millions of consumers with levels of spending similar to western ones. Developing countries are therefore potential customers for middle and upper-middle range furniture produced in industrial countries. Read more »

Research and Markets has announced the addition of “World Furniture Outlook 2006-2007″ to their offering.

There is an increasing degree of openness in the furniture sector world-wide. The growth in world furniture trade has two determinants: the increasing openness of the markets and the growth in world consumption, which has also affected the developing countries since the mid-80′s, with the emergence of hundreds of millions of consumers with levels of spending similar to western ones. Developing countries are therefore potential customers for middle and upper-middle range furniture produced in industrial countries.

This report provides an overview of the world furniture industry with basic data (production, consumption, imports, exports) and scenario 2006/2007 for 60 furniture markets. The growth of furniture imports and the role of furniture exporting countries in the world marketplace are also considered. Prospects of world furniture trade in 2006/2007 and forecasts on the evolution of furniture markets in the 60 countries (selected according to their contribution to production and international trade of furniture) are based on the analysis of furniture industry dynamics and of macro-economic indicators. Read more »

The highly competitive office furniture market has seen little consolidation so far, but the myriad of small companies in the sector already see a positive effect from rapid office space development, especially in the regions outside Prague.

There are about 200 major office furniture suppliers on the Czech market, but small furniture suppliers, who offer made-to-order office furniture, constitute the largest portion. “According to our estimates, there are around 3,000 furniture producers in the Czech Republic,” said Tomáš Lukeš, secretary general of the Association of the Czech Furniture Manufacturers (AČN), noting that data on the exact number of active producers is unavailable. Various sources put the number between 2,500 and 4,000. Major players in the Czech furniture market include Ahrend, Interior PFD, Techo, Steelcase, Vitra Koncept and Samas Česká republika.

The market is healthy with net sales and exports both on an upward trend. The production of wooden office furniture grew to Kč 1.38 billion (E 48 million) last year from Kč 1.26 billion in 2004. Metal office furniture production recorded a similar increase to Kč 1.27 billion from Kč 1.15 billion on the year. The Czech Republic exports more office furniture than it imports, and last year imports recorded a slight decrease. On the year, the export of wooden and metal office furniture rose last year to Kč 721 million and Kč 594 million, from Kč 610 million and Kč 500 million, respectively. Imports dropped to Kč 312 million in 2005 from Kč 314 million for wooden office furniture, and to Kč 243 million from Kč 248 million for metal office furniture in 2004.

While there are no results available for this year’s market, there’s no indication that the there will be a drop in production, according to AÄŒN’s LukeÅ¡. Ahrend, for example, has witnessed increased demand. “We’ve already exceeded last year’s results,” said Helena Kudláčková, customer support team leader at Ahrend, adding that the company expects a “big” increase in revenues this year, declining to give specific figures. Last fall Ahrend acquired a 75 percent stake in its rival, Techo, and became the leader in sales on the CEE market. Both brands continue to operate on the market, and the two companies seek to complement each other, with Ahrend offering luxury furniture and Techo catering to mass demand. Read more »

When it comes to answering the question, “What is your favorite color?” Americans may shift from past preferences, according to Christine Chow, Director of Membership for the New York-based Color Association of the United States.

In a July 25 seminar sponsored by World Market Center and Furniture Style magazine during this week’s Las Vegas MarketSM, Chow talked about style trends that impact which colors will be hot in the coming years: Asian influences, new traditionalism and elements taken from nature.

“We are in the midst of a decade where Americans have finally embraced true color: bright colors, multi-colors,” Chow said, “But where do we go next?” she asked. Read more »

Vietnamese furniture exports fetched over half a billion dollars in the first four months of 2006, a 7 percent year-on-year increase, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Industry experts hope that furniture export revenue would exceed the US$2 billion mark by year’s end.

The European Union market, projected to remain on a healthy development track with increasing demands for second and third quarters, bought up $150 million in furniture made-in-Vietnam.

Furniture export companies should scale up trade promotion, notably in the untapped EU markets such as Latvia, Slovenia and Slovakia, experts said.

Vietnam’s furniture exports quoted a record US$1.4 billion last year with US and EU as its main customers.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33958) has announced the addition of The Furniture Industry in the European Union (Volume II): EU Enlargement Countries + Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine to their offering.

This report offers a comprehensive picture of the furniture sector in Central and Eastern Europe, providing trends in furniture production, furniture consumption, furniture imports and exports in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Factors determining the demand for furniture are examined, as well as furniture distribution channels and furniture prices.

For each country the furniture supply structure is analysed, with data on furniture companies and employment. Profiles of the main furniture manufacturers and distributors, with turnover, production facilities, employees, exports and product mix, are provided. Read more »